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Why Donate to the Foundation?

The Christian County Library District was established in 1956. The last time that county taxes that support the Library District were increased was in 1971, which led to the building of the current library facility, which was built in 1972 to serve a county with a population of approximately 10,000.

Current library facility, built in 1972.

Today, Christian County encompasses an area of 564 square miles, housing a population of approximately 81,000. Currently, Christian County is the 14th most populated county in the state of Missouri and is tied for the title of fastest growing county in the state.On average, the current library serves 105,000 patron visits a year. That's around 350 visits every day. In spite of what many think, the library offers more than just books to those it serves. The programs offered include early literacy programs for children, teen programs that support and encourage continued literacy, free internet access, educational resources and assistance, programs and continuing education for adult learners, and many more services. The library serves community members from birth through any age and from all walks of life and cultural background.Library circulation and attendance continues to grow.At the same time that the services demanded by more and more patrons grows, the amount of funding the library receives has declined. Today, the current tax levy that directly supports the Library District is $0.0887 for every $100 of assessed property tax value. By comparison, similar sized district receive an average of about $0.25 per $100 of assessed value.This is a critical time in the health of the library district. The current facility can no longer effectively meet the needs of the county as it exists today. That's not taking into account continued future growth... that's just with today's population. Your financial support is needed today!

About the Foundation

Established in 2013, the immediate goal of the Foundation is to fund the replacement of the current library location and expansion of branches in other parts of Christian County in order to increase access to library services and to provide the ability to meet the ever-growing future demands of the community.